Madley, Herefordshire: The cool of our churches has been welcome to many, but my polyester robes are not made for the heat<\/p>\n
Every summer, while roasting in my robes, I say to myself: \u201cI must get a lighter set.\u201d If I had a cotton cassock instead of a polyester cassock and alb, swaying to the singing of hymns might not raise my core temperature as much. In that regard, this year hasn\u2019t been without its challenges.<\/p>\n
Even so, our churches have become \u201ccool spaces\u201d. In Madley towards the end of term I received a call from Mr Batstone, headteacher of the primary school, wondering if classes could be held in church. Madley parish church is huge, with room in the nave for each class and a cool, subterranean crypt. I\u00a0headed over later that week to find the church buzzing with children.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve also had our summertime pet blessing, to celebrate the more\u2011than-human community. After a dynamic risk assessment, a\u00a0bowl of water was supplied for the\u00a0dogs and the door kept wide open. Unfortunately, we cannot open the stained glass windows.<\/p>\n
I usually bring an earthworm to the service to highlight that the least glamorous animals can be the most important, but when I dug the garden there were none \u2013 they had dived deep to find moisture. This year I was concerned that a visiting guinea pig called Pippa might be eaten by one of the attending dogs; I needn\u2019t have worried as our canine congregation were more settled than I had ever seen them, panting with exhaustion after their\u00a0morning walk.<\/p>\n
The irony is that Madley church is notoriously cold. At one midnight\u00a0mass, the temperature by the altar was -15C. Even with the recent heatwaves, Felicity and Claire brought jumpers to the\u00a0Saturday communion \u2013 at the door, the welcomer, Carol, said: \u201cFor the first time ever you won\u2019t be\u00a0needing those.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conversations afterwards in the porch are about the harvest and the smoke from the Bannau Brycheiniog fires. Winter barley yields are good, but the spring-sown cereals are too dry in the grain. While local farmers struggle to produce food and wildlife dies in the blazes, I lament that we appear to have failed the biblical mandate to care for the Earth. The worst of the heat\u00a0has passed now, but even so, I\u00a0must\u00a0invest in those lighter robes.<\/p>\n
Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian\u2019s Country Diary, 2018-2024, is available now at guardianbookshop.com<\/p>\n